The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-07-21
MARl JAMES TRAN ELS.
SHE AND OlCKeY FOLLOW The BLUE
MEDITeRRANEAN'S SHORE.
The Riviera a Land Of BcautS-Ihe
Singular Appearance Of an italian
Funeral-Nonte Carlo and Its Wonder
full Never THllv Told Beauty.
IspecIal Correspondence ]

thk quiet sleepy old town from Mar
settles. az the other extremity Of the Riviera,
Ia four stages. and through a conn
Try whi-s,. If Moses had seen from the lofty
heights Of the Maritime Alps shutting it out
from TIE wilderness on the north he would
have moved right into aud settled down, m
spite Of TIE law and the prophets have
never seeu anything quite so perfectly lovely.
What | have read o. 10 has been in the
nature Of poetry and advertisements, mostly,
and As don't have much confidence in either
/. never gave the Riviera a thought, unless an
earthquake N the cholera happened to bring
? into notice Having experienced its wonder
ful beauty by actual contact, having gazed
upon its minghng with the ripping blue 81
the Mediterranean, having seen its olive
groves. Us flowers IT'S charming vsias by
land and sea. It's wild promont0ries keeping
vigil DER its peaceful valleys, etc, am pre-
pared 70 swear % any gilt edged statement,
made by poet, painter or real estate agent,
with reference to this strip Of country mar
rowed. down 80 closely between mountains
alpd sen that the beauty is spread on very
tIiek.
Our first stage wa, 20 Nice, town which
everybody makes pun on, sooner or later.
ard thinks his is She first bright intellect the
lightning has struck / have been making
bread and butter out Of pups and that sc-t Of
thing f0r 10, thcae many years. and have
ruug the clrangcs On nearly all the words in
she language YET, wien I wrote my first
postal from Nice, signed it Yours. Nicely
and what & worse, it appeared 50 original
that / sigird an TIE others the same way
We went % Nice not so much because
'shere was anything 10 see there. but because
there was not. That is % say. it Is a winter
rsort for about $1,000 English and New
Norkopcnns from November 70 May and
later than May It is nearly as deserted as a
"Wednesday evening prayer meeting in a vie
iage church when there is a circus open at the
other end Of town.
As we walked about the echoing streets
breathing the fine dust Of fhe Riviera which
almost makes tins entire region a white
washed Landscape, D.ckey caught me by the
arm suddenly and stopped me
"Lock down there IN that square said she
nervously
fWeh, said "it's only crowd of people
vi acknowledge rs somewhat unusual, but
there Is nothing - De frightened at
But look at their costumes" said She
They are Kuklux and I'm going to skip
Tins isn't the inst time I've been down south
"F-haw,' said l. "you make me need rest
and repose That's only funeral
II was queer turnout, all the same. and
Don't know hnt Dickey might be right, but
wasn't going 20 show the white feather SO
took her along to investigate As a rule fu-
nera~ are not funny. but that one was
There was a leoder in front fixed up as fancy
as drun major on dress parade, and after
itm came several priests and boys with can
DIS AMI crosses and other paraphernohs
We saw TIM boys forming IN the procession.
After the boys came a hundred girls ia
brown gowns with white capes over
their heads all with long lighted can
dies Then came sister, i'm black
and the hearse drawn by black horses in
black robes, surrounded by pallhearers wear
ing shiny rubber wgterpr@1f plug hats. and.
consluing the line, came the friends in car
riages and on foot All the men al their
hats on, and those along the way removed
theirs rs the procession passed with solemn
tpcad and mournfui chant II vas what We
would call in our country a big funeral. bus
IL is not such a one AZ you would be likely to
find N America
Il wonder who X is said l with impres
siye solemnity.
"Cant say said Dckey, "but / wouldn't
be surprised if IL were hotel keeper, who
broke bis back trying to reach Tor the last
dollar Of the last departing guest.
Maybe she was right don't know |
only know that every man we have met so
tar in England and France seems to be wear
ing his young life out devisng ways and
means to prevent patron from getting away
with anything possessing a pocuniary value.
We found Nice what IT, name in our Ian
guage purIorts, but we couldn't stay 10 enjoy
IL. though the Mediterranean rolled beautiful
pillows on the beach and coaxed us in ripping
music 10 remain.
"What place f9 Irritation, said Dickey
with a sigh for the loyelness spread all about
Us.
Just as wrong here as any place else,
said l.
1T may be naughty, but It's Nice" said
she, with a grevous grin, and ] fell over the
bock Of the bench
From Nice-but hold Tx give You sam
pie of Riviera poetry In the pronunciation
indigenous 10 the soil:
An. traveller. when you leave Lyons,
How mer ily you cruise along
Until you meet upon your way
The charming city of Marseles;
Then lger, by the seaside fair.
You come 90 lovely sweet Hyeres.
Which. leaving hy some forceful plan,
NC-l come betimes 60 pleasant Cannes,
Whence having found a sad release
You rest again IN white ROBBED Nice
That may not be very elegant poetry, but
it will serve as % practice in pronunciation.
As was going 20 say, before the Muse in
tcrruptei me, from Nice we went over to
Monte Carlo, in the little pincipatty Of
Monaco. whose rsler is Prince Charles, and
whose entire revenue is derived from the
gambling receipts of Monte Carlo, which Rs in
fsct suburb or continuation OF Monaco town
Monte Carlo has been written about more
than any place / know of, but, somehow.
have never seen its enchanting beauty prop
erly described | presume it is because NO
poets dfsam has ever hoen materialzsd IN
pratt nor painters fancy fully realized upon
canvas II was 9 o'clock when We left our
hot.I and wont down uUlu tlo terrace in